Gospel Music in Costa Rica
Religious hymns and spiritual music
have played a role in Costa Rican culture for more than two centuries.
Traditionally, however, the practice of organized groups celebrating and
singing these songs has been confined to within their respective church walls,
primarily in Limon and San Jose.
Enter music historian Manuel Obregon, who is also the president and founder of
Papaya Music, Costa Rica’s
premier music label. Obregon felt this musical legacy deserved to be shared
with the general public. So he enlisted more than thirty participants from a
variety of denominations to perform live for two nights for an audience at
National Theater in San Jose,
which is truly how gospel music should be heard: alive rather than canned,
studio work. Appropriately, a recording of this event, “Wade in the Water” has
recently been released.
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| Masterkey |
The disc opens with
the Reverend Phil Jones singing the title track. He also sings the lead vocals
for “We Shall Overcome” and the closing song, “Amazing Grace”. Other standouts
on the song list include Bill Withers’ “Lean on Me” and the traditional Gospel
tune, “Fly Away”. Two Kirk Franklin original songs and a Caribbean Gospel
medley help round out the song selections. A variety of vocal ensembles grace
the performances on this CD, including a backing chorus of ten voices. In
addition, Obregon spotlights Masterkey, a six-man singing group from Limon who
formed their sextet in 1998, singing a combination of traditional and original
spiritual songs in a bilingual style they call “Tico Gospel”. Their counterpart,
T4, is comprised of the four Tucker sisters, singing a style of music that has
Afro-American Gospel style enmeshed with a Jamaican/Caribbean influence.
Harline Tucker claims that their style of music can be played “only on the
black keys of the piano”.
The music leaves a
lot of room for instrumental solos, which are handled by Obregon on piano and
organ, while fellow Malpais band member Fidel Gamboa plays flute and saxophone,
with the guitar work performed by veteran session man Carlos Delgado. The house
band for this project is comprised of self-admitted “non-believers”, who
expressed delight in being able to participate in the event. The music tends to
transcend traditional gospel, adding elements of soul, rhythm & blues and
even jazz to the mix.
The packaging has
the unmistakable Papaya Music attention to detail. Obregon, a bit of a music
perfectionist, also did all the arranging, producing and art direction. The
disc comes with a booklet with its liner notes and lyrics in both Spanish and
English. The eco-friendly jacket is a double fold-out that opens to reveal a
clever photographic collage. In short, Manuel Obregon and Papaya Music have
done it again, presenting a comprehensive package that preserves Costa Rican
heritage by putting it on the map while adding a current spin to it that keeps
it modern at the same time.
“Wade in the Water”
and all Papaya Music CDs are available in Playa Tamarindo, Quepos and Tilaran at Jaime
Peligro, where they will gladly sample the music for the customer. All comments concerning this article are welcome.
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